1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an insect repellent composition, more particularly a liquid composition suitable for application to human skin for repelling mosquitoes and other insects.
2. Background Information
The most numerous and successful animals on earth are undoubtedly insects. Despite some helpful species, a great many insects are a bane to humans, no more so than in the hot, humid South. Many months of the year, people venturing outdoors are plagued by biting insects, such as mosquitoes, gnats, noseeums (biting midges), flies, ticks, head lice, fire ants, fleas, and other insects. Of course, bites and stings inflicted by “biting” insects are often itchy and can become infected. Aside from the annoyance of being surrounded by swarming insects in the air or on the ground (e.g., gnats, noseeums flies, fleas, ants, cockroaches), many biting/stinging insects such as fleas, mosquitoes, and flies, are vectors for serious diseases, such as malaria, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease, leishmaniasis, dengue fever, and West Nile fever. Scientists have developed one effective insecticide after another over the years, only to discover later on that their compounds cause harm to humans and animals and/or the environment (e.g., DEET—N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide). The quandary many parents face is whether to keep themselves and their children indoors during the months that mosquitoes and other insects are a problem, or risk applying a possibly harmful insect repellent to the child's skin so they can venture outside.
Products claiming to be safe for the environment have risen in popularity in the last few decades. Unfortunately, the words “natural insect repellent” are associated in the minds of many with ineffectiveness and an unpleasant, pungent smell. Most adults and children object to wearing a bad-smelling, sticky insect repellent formula on their skin, even if it does repel insects.
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has a “Generally Regarded As Safe” (GRAS) classification for certain compounds. The compositions of the present invention include GRAS-classified essential oils, have a pleasant odor, and have been proven effective in repelling insects. Although GRAS-classified essential oils of the present formulas have been used separately as insect repellents in the past, they have not heretofore been combined with the select ingredients of the present formulations in order to achieve an over-all surprisingly pleasant-smelling and effective insect repellent.